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Vladyka Theophan was also a confessor for St. Tsar Nicholas II and his holy royal family! He was widely known as the "only Russian ascetic bishop".
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Concerning the Future of Russia:
"The world cannot be calmed without a calmed and restored Russia. But Russia cannot be restored until the power of darkness in her is cast down and a lawful power, both according to human law and according to the law of Divine anointing, is confirmed in her. Consequently, Russia will undoubtedly be restored, and a lawful power will also be restored in her. But this calm will be given both to the Russian people and to the other sons of this age in order that they should prepare themselves for the great struggle with antichristianity, during which the number of martyrs predetermined from eternity, who must suffer for the Word of God and for the testimony concerning the Lamb, will be filled up."
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Concerning the Future Tsar of Russia and the cleansing of the Church:
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1st prophecy: "Oh, Russia, Russia! How terribly has she sinned before the loving-kindness of the Lord. The Lord God favoured Russia, and He gave her that which He had not given to a single other nation on earth. And this nation turned out to be so ungrateful. She left Him; she rejected Him; and it is therefore that the Lord has given her over to be tormented by devils. The devils took up their residence in the souls of men, and the nation of Russia became possessed; literally, devil-ridden. And all the terrible things that we hear about what went on -- and what continues to go on (Vladyka Theophan reposed in 1940) -- in Russia: all the sacrilege, all the militant atheism and theomachy, -- all of this stems from her being possessed by devils. But, through the inexpressible mercy of God, this possession will pass and the nation will be healed. The nation will turn to repentance; to faith. That will occur, which none expects. Russia will be resurrected from the dead, and the entire world will be astonished. Orthodoxy in her will be reborn and triumph. But that Orthodoxy which had existed formerly will be no more. The great startsy (Elders) have said that Russia will be reborn; that the people themselves will restore the Orthodox Monarchy. A mighty Tsar' will be placed upon the Throne by God Himself. He will be a great reformer, and he will be strong in the Orthodox faith. He will cast down the unfaithful hierarchs of the Church. He himself will be an outstanding personality, with a pure and holy soul. He will possess a strong will. He will be of the Romanov Dynasty, through the maternal line. He will be God's Chosen One, obedient to the Lord in all things. He will transform Siberia. But this Russia will exist only for a very short time. Soon thereafter will come to pass that of which the Apostle John speaks in his Apocalypse."
2nd prophecy: "What I say, I do not say on my own authority. But, rather, it is that which I heard from divinely-inspired startsy (Elders); that is what I have conveyed. The Lord will show His mercy to Russia, for the sake of the small number of true believers remaining in her. In Russia, the startsy used to say, through the will of the people, the Monarchy and Autocratic rule will be restored. The Lord has forechosen the future Tsar'. He will be a man of burning faith, of brilliant mind and of iron will. First of all, he will bring about order in the Orthodox Church, by removing all the false, heresy-preaching and lukewarm hierarchs. And very many indeed -- almost all, with few exceptions -- will be those removed by him; while new ones, true and steadfast hierarchs, will take their place. Through the female line, he will be from the lineage of the Romanovs. Russia will be a mighty state, but only for 'a short time.'? After that, the Antichrist will come into the world, with all the horrors of the end, as described in the Apocalypse."
Vladyka Theophan also states concerning these prophecies: "We shall await the fulfillment of what has been revealed. Judging by many signs it is drawing nigh, unless because of our sins the Lord God shall revoke, shall alter what has been promised. According to the witness of the word of God, this also happens”
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Concerning Church Life on our Apostatic Times:
Vladyka Theophan of Poltava reveals (in 1928): "The truth of the Ecumenical Synods is based upon dedication to Apostolic tradition, [both] written and unwritten. “We preserve unharmed all of the Church traditions,” say the Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Synod in the acts. “We adhere to the ancient legislation of the Catholic Church. We preserve the decisions of the Fathers. We anathematize anyone who adds anything to the teachings of the Catholic Church, or takes away from them. Whoever demeans any teaching of the Church, written or unwritten, we anathematize likewise.”
Decisions by the Church on dogmatic questions, once made, were prohibited from being reexamined and changed.
“I beseech your holiness,” wrote Bishop Capreol to the Fathers of the 3rd Ecumenical Synod, “I beseech you that by the action of the Holy Spirit, Who, without a doubt, will abide in your hearts throughout your acts, will by the power of ancient tradition defeat the new and unheard-of teachings, without touching those which have already rejected by the Church, for under the guise of secondary study not to renew that which has already been discarded. For if one begins to reexamine decisions already made, it can be justly said of him that he does nothing but doubt the faith which has had effect thus far.”
“This is the opinion of us all; we all state the same thing!” replied the Fathers of the 3rd Ecumenical Synod to the bishop of Carthage. This is what the Catholic Church teaches. Do we hear her voice and do we heed this call? I will answer with the words of St Gregory the Theologian: “Our works blossomed and flowed well at one time. Then the excessively artful and cunning theological invention had no place in the Divine court, as we see now. To the contrary, to say or hear anything about God that is new and satisfying only one’s curiosity would be the same as to play dice, and by their quick motion to mistake one’s sight, or to entertain an audience with feminine motions of the body. Simplicity and nobility in word were revered as piety. But since philosophy and the thirst for wordcraft, as a grievous and wicked illness, invaded our Churches, idle talk began to be viewed as scholasticism, and as it is written in the Book of Acts about the Athenians, we wish for nothing else but to see and hear something new. Who now will compose our sorrow, as did Jerome, to reflect our sufferings!”
The teachings of the Church decided upon long ago are brazenly reconsidered, and no less brazenly are new ones declared! Now we see that “anyone is a theologian, though he may have thousands of blemishes on his soul” (Basil the Great). Our new theologians forget that “no one may speak theology or say any word of God but by the Holy Spirit” (St Nikita the Stylite).
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Concerning Church Life on our Apostatic Times (From 1936):
"Especially horrible is the fall of Bishops when they fall away from the dogmas of faith or, as the Apostle puts it, when they 'want to pervert the Gospel of Christ' (Gal. 1:7) To those the Apostle commands to proclaim 'anathema': 'He who dares to preach not what we're preaching, -- he says, -- let him be anathema' (Gal. 1:9).
And it is not right to procrastinate this either, he continues: 'From a heretic, after the first and the second admonition, turn away, knowing that he's depraved and sinning unto his condemnation' (Titus 3:10-11). Otherwise, that is, for indifference and apostasy from the truth, God's judgement may befall you: 'inasmuch as you're lukewarm and neither hot, nor cold, I shall spew you out of My mouth' (Rev. 3:15-16)."
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Concerning Church Life on our Apostatic Times:
In 1930 a young theological student, later to become the great spokesman of true Orthodoxy, Archbishop Averky of Jordanville, heard of the rumors of an approaching "Eighth Ecumenical Synod" and asked his Abba, the great theologian of the Russian Diaspora, Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, about it.
The latter replied: "Of an eighth Ecumenical Synod I have as yet heard nothing. I can only say, in the words of St. Theodore the Studite: 'Not every gathering of bishops is a Synod, but only a gathering of bishops who stand in the Truth.' A truly Ecumenical Synod depends not on the number of bishops gathered at it, but on whether it will deliberate and teach in an Orthodox way. If it will keep away from the truth, it will not be Ecumenical, even though it might call itself Ecumenical. The famous 'robber council' in its time had more participants than many Ecumenical Synods, but nevertheless it was not called Ecumenical, but received the name of 'robber council'."
(Letters of Archbishop Theophan, Jordanville, 1976).
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Concerning Church Life on our Apostatic Times:
This same Archbishop Theophan was present at the Moscow All-Russian Council of 1917-18, where he was approached by some of the modernist clergy, who tried to persuade him to join their "reform" movement with these words:
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"The waves of the times flow swiftly, changing everything, changing us; one must give in to them. You, too, must give in, Vladyka, to the raging waves... Otherwise with whom will you be left? You will be left alone."
And Vladyka Theophan's answer, in the age-old Orthodox spirit, was: "With whom will I be left? I will be with St. Vladimir the Enlightener of Russia. With Sts. Anthony and Theodosius the Wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves, with the holy Hierarchs and Wonderworkers of Moscow. With Sts. Sergius and Seraphim and with all the holy martyrs, God-pleasing monks and wonderworkers who have gloriously shone forth on Russian soil. But you, dear brothers, with whom will you be left if, even with your great numbers, you give over to the will of the waves of the times? They have already carried you to the flabbiness of Kerensky, and soon they will carry you under the yoke of the brutal Lenin, into the claws of the red beast."
(The Orthodox Word, Sept.-Oct., 1969)
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Concerning Church Life on our Apostatic Times (From 1926) :
"For us the universal truth is the highest, as it is expressed by the Ecumenical Synods and in the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church. According to our convictions, it is necessary to conduct an active struggle with the enemies of the Church and of God's people."
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Concerning Church Life on our Apostatic Times (From 1931):
"Regarding Ecclesiastical matters... I have an enormous amount of material at my disposal: approximately 700 pages in all... The overall conclusion that can be drawn from these materials is horrifying. Yet there is, of course, amid this general darkness 'a grace-filled remnant' which still perpetuates the Orthodox Faith..."
Vladyka Theophan pray unto God for us!